I don’t know about you, but every time I back my car out of my driveway or in the supermarket parking lot, I worry about hidden toddlers. This could be a side affect of my job as a Central New York personal injury lawyer. But it could also be because I have read way too many reports of toddlers getting backed up over by cars, pickup trucks and SUV’s. The problem is that small children are below the view of your rearview mirror.

So I was glad to come across a Bloomberg article yesterday reporting that rearview cameras with in-vehicle displays will probably be required in new cars and trucks by the year 2014. The auto industry will, of course, oppose this requirement, but hey, they also opposed requiring seatbelts and airbags in their day, and look how many lives those have saved.

I remember a story I read in the Geneva Finger Lakes Times last year where, in Geneva, New York, an uncle backed his car out of his driveway and ran over his 3 year-old nephew. After the accident, he disappeared for a few days while he contemplated suicide.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics show that vehicle back-ups kill 300 and injure 18,000 people a year in the U.S. Nearly half the deaths are of children under 5 years old. Tragically, in 70 percent of the cases, family members are responsible for the backup death or injury.

Imagine the lifetime of remorse, shame and indescribable sadness that backing up over your own child brings on.

Right now, backup cameras are available on many vehicles, but they are optional. If forcing the auto industry to equip all vehicle with this technology will save 300 lives a year, and avoid 18,000 injuries, I’m all for it.